Sheila E. Headlines Oakland Pride Parade and Festival

Sheila E. will headline Oakland Pride, a one day festival that takes place Sunday, Aug. 31, Labor Day weekend 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. in downtown Oakland.

The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. at Broadway and 14th Street. The festival runs from 11 .m. to 7 p.m. at Broadway and 20th Street.

This year, and for the first time ever, Oakland Pride will produce a LGBT Pride Parade in Oakland. Event organizers are expecting over 50,000 attendees who will come to enjoy the parade, multiple entertainment stages with over 50 artists and over 100 food, beverage and community information booths, children’s play area, a wedding pavilion, senior seating, community health pavilion, bicycle parking, easy BART access (19th Street Bart), and more in Northern California’s most diverse LGBTQ city.

A native of Oakland, Sheila Escovedo was born into a musical family and began playing with the family instruments at the age of 3. Influenced by her father, Latin jazz legend and timbalero Pete Escovedo, she made her concert “debut” at the former Sands Ballroom in Oakland at age 5, when she was invited on stage by her father to play a solo in front of an audience of 3,000.

She has also collaborated with Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, and Kanye West to name a few. Sheila has been performing for over 40 years and released a new album this year called ‘Sheila E. Icon.”